Vitas patrum.

¶How a vo•••• from heuen spake to Pa¦chomyen And begynnyth in latyn ¶Quodam vero tempore. et cetera / Caplm .lxiii.

[illustration]

IT happed on a tyme that sa∣ynt Pachomyen entrynge in a towne namyd Thebayde ferre ynough from his hermytage / In whi∣che towne whan he entred dwelled noo persone ¶ He putt hymselfe in prayer / and was there longe / ¶ Soo herde he a voys from heuen. whyche sayd to hȳ Pachomyen abyde in this place where thou arte. And edefy•• here a monastery Many shall come to the. desirynge to prouffyte by thy Instytucyons ¶ And thou shalte gyue to theym the rule whi¦che I shall desyner to the / ¶ After that appyered the aungell whyche broughte to hym a table. in whiche was wryten the rule whiche be sholde te••he all the∣ym that sholde come to the sayde place for to be relygyous vnder hym / ¶ The whyche rule yet kepen the Tabenesi∣ens. ¶ Saynt Pachomyen ryght affec∣tuously

alle that. whyche thangell had broughte to hym / ¶ And after came a¦gayne to the holy fader Palemon / To whom he recyted alle that whiche was happed to hym. In prayenge hym that he wolde goo w^t him to the place. whe¦re the aungel had spoken to hym as sa¦yd is / ¶ Palemon whiche was humble & wolde not trowble his dyscyple / went in to the towne wyth hȳ / And there ari¦ued Incontynent after the cōmaunde∣ment of god made a lytyll hous / In y^e whyche longe tyme they prayed to god deuowtely / Bysechynge hym that they myghte perfourme the chirche. lyke as y^e angell had warned Pachomien. ¶ Lon¦ge tyme after Palemon sayd to Pacho¦myen. Now I knowe that the grace of god is descended vpon the. & that thou arte dysposyd for to dwelle in this pla∣ce where thou arte / Wherfore I praye y^u that we make this paccyon & couenan̄t togyder. That durynge all the tyme of oure lyfe we be not separate in courage ne deuyded / But by vysitacyon frater∣nall we gyue consolacyon eche to other The whyche paccyon they made and entrehelden / For after ofte tymes they vysited eche other /